Celebration Salmon

Step 1

You’ll need a 13½ x 10-inch deep baking pan or roasting pan. Ideally your pan shouldn’t be any bigger, otherwise you’ll need more oil, and the flavor of the sauce will be diluted. Pat the salmon dry and place in the pan, skin side down (it will fit best diagonally). Pour over the 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of olive oil—it won’t cover the salmon completely but that’s fine.

Step 2

Put all the ingredients for the salsa into a food processor and pulse until the solids are very finely chopped (very finely chop the ingredients by hand if you don’t have a processor). Pour the salsa over the salmon and into the oil, making sure the flesh side is completely covered in salsa. Add the ¼ cup of cilantro and ¼ cup of basil to the oil.

Step 3

Cover tightly with foil and place on the middle rack of a cold oven. Immediately turn the oven to 200°F. Cook for 45 minutes, or until the thickest part of the salmon is just cooked, but still quite pink. (If you don’t like your fish pink, cook it for 10–15 minutes longer.) Remove from the oven and set aside, still covered, for another 15 minutes.

Step 4

While the salmon is resting, make the salad. Slice the cucumber on the diagonal and toss with the remaining salad ingredients.

Step 5

Carefully transfer the salmon to a platter using 2 wide spatulas. You might want to ask for some help doing this as the salmon is very delicate. Strain the oil and salsa in the pan through a sieve set over a bowl. Discard the cooked herbs. Make sure the salmon is covered in salsa, and transfer any remaining salsa to a serving bowl. Spoon some of the aromatic oil over and around the salmon. Store any remaining oil in a clean glass jar—see bottom of intro.

Step 6

Serve the salmon with the salad, lime wedges, and remaining salsa on the side.